"To A Skylark" by P. B. Shelley: Symbolism

Question: Comment on the symbolism of the skylark in Shelley’s ode "To A Skylark".

One of the legacies of the Romantic period is the heightened concern in literature. It is full of the types of psychological experiences outside the usual limit of consciousness. What seems to take place is a sudden jump or transference of consciousness to another realm, or alternatively, an invasion from the transcendent into human life, and his poetry attempts to describe such an experience. So does Shelly speak of in To a Skylark. As the poem begins, the poet addresses the song-bird. The skylark seems to be no bird at all, but rather a disembodied Spirit of joy. The skylark is an emblem of the celestial permanence to which men aspire, and are invariably associated with images of light, fire, stars, the sun and the moon in keeping with the Platonic implications. The ode is a striking example of what was common poetic procedure with Shelley and Keats. Thus, the skylark symbolises a celestial delight beyond the attainability of man as well as the representational art if poetry. In any case, even if we get rid of all our hate and pride and fear, we can never approximate the divine and the spiritual happiness of the bird. In a sense, Shelley’s skylark represents the ideal poet much better equipped than the best skilled poet on earth. As Shelley’s poem reaches its end, it seems that humankind in general does not stand qualified enough to receive the lessons of happiness to be imparted on by the bird. The closing verse focuses upon the role of the poet as an intermediary between the bird’s heaven and the lived existence of man. Even then, Shelley’s poem ends on a note of a prayer to the bird. Shelley’s poem is a conscious imitation of the pure spontaneity that the bird’s song represents. Shelley’s bird is a symbolic of eternity, an eternity unattainable for man except for what can be apprehended in terms of the prophetic qualities of a poet as Shelley’s ode concludes in the form of a prologue to the future.